Perry grabs mic on border crisis

Rick Perry two-stepped his way back into the national spotlight this week, using the crisis at the border to skewer President Barack Obama while bolstering his own conservative bona fides.

The Republican Texas governor, who’s mulling a 2016 presidential bid, has appeared on national TV to trash the White House’s response to the unusual influx of children at the border. He also seized headlines when he initially declined to greet Obama at the airport during a presidential visit this week, and instead pushed for a face-to-face meeting.

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Perry was to meet Obama on the tarmac on Wednesday, the governor’s office said, and a private meeting was expected ahead of a roundtable, according to Perry spokesman Travis Considine. The White House declined to confirm or deny early reports about the private meeting.

For a man known for his stick-it-to-’em swagger, Perry’s foray into the escalating border debate couldn’t come at a better time. He’s been trying for months to rehabilitate his image after a disastrous presidential campaign in 2012, during which his moderate stance on some immigration-related issues appeared to hurt him, as did his forgetfulness in a debate.

People who know Perry maintain that he has long been deeply concerned about border security, and in fact has been warning for years of today’s crisis. But they also note that his tussle with the president gives him a much bigger stage.

“It’s given him a voice nationally and a platform to talk about this issue,” said Dave Carney, a longtime Perry political adviser who parted ways after the 2012 campaign. “But he’s not saying something he hasn’t been talking about for 12 years.”

It’s just that when he faces off with Obama, many more people are listening. And in the Republican Party, they’re applauding.

He drew glowing headlines from conservative media outlets, generated a slew of questions at White House press briefings and even Herman Cain, a onetime rival of Perry’s in the 2012 GOP primary, chimed in on Twitter: “Nice to see a Gov display a little chutzpah.”

Tens of thousands of unaccompanied children as well as women with children, many from Central America, have tried to cross into the U.S. in recent months, an extraordinary surge. Many are now languishing in detention facilities as the federal government tries to determine whether and how to deport them.

Obama was due to visit Texas on Wednesday and Thursday for a fundraiser, party events and to deliver remarks about the economy. His aides have said he would not go to the border as part of the trip, despite fierce criticism from Republicans, and some Democrats.

In a letter released Monday, the outgoing Texas governor declined an offer to greet the president at the Austin airport with the president, and asked instead for a one-on-one meeting.

“I appreciate the offer to greet you at Austin-Bergstrom Airport, but a quick handshake on the tarmac will not allow for a thoughtful discussion regarding the humanitarian and national security crises enveloping the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas,” he wrote. “I would instead offer to meet with you at any time during your visit to Texas for a substantive meeting to discuss this critical issue. With the appropriate notice, I am willing to change my schedule to facilitate this request.”

White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett issued the reply, signaling openness to a meeting and inviting Perry to join a gathering with elected officials and faith leaders in Dallas.